Within the framework of the First International Workshop on Family Support promoted by the Institute of Advanced Family Studies, on Thursday, 12 May at 7.00 p.m. the talk “Is the family counter-cultural?” was held in the Aula Magna. Enrique García-Máiquez, poet, columnist, critic and professor; and Pedro Herrero Mestre, director of public affairs at the agency Public, participated in the session and the panel was moderated by journalist Teresa Gutiérrez de Cabiedes, doctor of Public Communications from the University of Navarra. The purpose of the round table was to discuss whether the family is counter-cultural. “If you ask me, I would say yes; the family is counter-cultural because it is not part of the hegemonic cultural narrative. Perhaps because in our society we have built families in which poets are not produced, but we produce accountants, lawyers… in short, executors of the system.” Herrero said.

For his part, García-Máiquez declared that despite the difficulties currently being experienced by the family as an organism," we should not complain, but build, build and build". He noted that one of the dangers that the family now has is the virtual world. "In family support sessions there is much emphasis on the importance of communication for the couple, but knowledge and basic issues of philosophy or anthropology are even more important. In short, we should know what changes are coming and apply a lot of psychology.”

The moderator, journalist Gutiérrez de Cabiedes, discussed various points with the speakers and attendees, and contextualised the importance of the international workshop at UIC Barcelona. “Those of us who are happy living a family life and those who are convinced that it is the only way, have to speak up about the family because if we don’t, in a few centuries nobody will be talking about it,” she said.

Likewise, addressing current struggles and work issues, Herrero put forward the idea that the current crisis is positive, provided that we trust in future generations and give them the tools to improve. “Counter-culture is always an opportunity because it means we are free. But we must give opportunities to young people, to give them the space to create.” García-Máiquez underlined this idea and noted: “I like the idea that we are constructing something from a position of defeat: we have now reached the point of building upwards.”

The event was opened by the comedian Andrés Torres who performed part of his show Los hijos, el club de los malos padres, which has already had an audience of over 35,000 in the Teatreneu. The artist, who is part of the team of La Sexta's Aruser@s programme, filled the auditorium with laughter while sharing his personal experiences as a father of four children, and gave some advice along the way. Developing a mutual understanding with the audience, he spoke with irony and commented that “it is best not to overwhelm our children: let them make mistakes and leave them have their own space, because one day they will grow up and, hopefully, leave home.”